Come, my child…come. I shall take you by the hand and take you where you need to go.

I shall show you the food that is solely responsible for my bones and tissues multiplying and growing at a young age.

It’s macaroni and cheese. And it’s the only food I consumed until I was about fourteen years old.

Come…come, my child.

I shall show you the way.

Elbow macaroni. You can buy it in bulk, and you can buy it cheap.

You’ll need butter. Regular, salted butter.

And just note that I pretty much never use unsalted butter except for a few select baking recipes.

All-purpose flour.

WHOLE MILK. Pretend there’s a photo of whole milk sitting on a counter you can’t see.

Dry mustard. I love this ingredient in macaroni & cheese. It provides a tangy sharpness without injecting a definable flavor.

1 egg. Trust me.

And cheese. One glorious, beautiful pound of freshly grated cheese. I’m using all sharp cheddar today, but I almost always mix cheeses: Colby, Monterey Jack, Fontina, Mild Cheddar, Pepper Jack…even a little Gruyere if I allow myself to be in denial about how expensive it is.

But today, it’s all cheddar, all the time.

Cook 4 cups dried macaroni until it’s very “al dente”. Keep in mind that we’ll be baking the macaroni after we mix it together, so it needs to be quite firm when you bring it out of the water. I usually test a macaroni noodle about 5 minutes into the cooking process—if it’s too firm to serve and eat immediately, it’s time to take it off the stove and drain it.

Seriously, the fat content in the whole milk, in my opinion, makes for a creamier, more delicious mac & cheese. But I’m not here to make anyone’s choices for them so feel free to use a lower fat milk product.

Immediately dump in 2 heaping teaspoons of dry mustard.

You could certainly add another teaspoon with impunity…but see how 2 tastes first. If you like it, dump in some more.

Now, whisk the mixture together and cook for about 5 minutes. It will get extremely thick, almost like a cream gravy.

At that point, reduce the heat to low. Use a 1/4 cup measure to retrieve a small amount of the sauce.

Pour the small amount of sauce into the beaten egg slowly…

Begin whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.

Keep whisking until mixture is cooled. This is called “tempering”: rather than dump the beaten egg into the very hot mixture in the pan—which would result in the eggs scrambling—you introduce some of the hot mixture into the egg.

THEN you dump the tempered egg into the pan.

Whisk it together…

Until totally combined.

Now dump in all but about 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Look at this wonderful cheesiness.

And stir together until it’s all melted. Go ahead and turn off the heat.

Now it’s time for seasoning! Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry’s.) If you’re sensitive to salt, start really low and work your way up…and remember that the cheese imparts quite a bit of salt to the mix.

BUT—and this is important—be careful not the UNDERSALT the mac & cheese. It really needs ample salt to put the flavor over the top.

*I also use paprika, cayenne pepper, even ground thyme every now and then. Play with different ground spices and see what you like best.

And finally, add plenty of black pepper, of the Black Dust variety. Honestly, I love freshly ground pepper…but not in homemade Mac & Cheese. For me, it has to be the powdery stuff.

Now THAT’s what I’m talkin’ about.

And guess what? You can just steam some fresh broccoli and spoon some of this over the top. Kids from all over the land will show up at your doorstep.

Did you know a single serving of broccoli is positively loaded with Vitamin C?

Now just dump in the drained, not-fully-cooked macaroni!

And stir the mixture together.

I use a little less than the full amount of cooked macaroni, because I love it extra creamy and coated. Just add it according to how you like it.

Now, you can either dish it up as it is right now, which makes for an ultra-creamy love fest…

OR you can pour the macaroni into a buttered baking dish. This is a 2-quart dish, but a 9 x 13 pan would work just fine.

Next, top the dish with the rest of the grated cheese.

Now bake it for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden.

Kinda like this.

The secret to good, baked mac & cheese is this crispy top, which hides a creamy, soft bottom.

Hello, lover.

We’ve had a beautiful life together, haven’t we? Thank you for allowing me to grow and develop.

Thank you for making my life complete.

And thank you for being you: unpretentious, unrefined, and real. You are SO not the Paris Hilton of the food world.

Sorry, Paris. Just a little joke. I love your hair.

Actually, I haven’t seen your hair for about two years now, ever since I gave up reading Us Magazine.

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Elizabeth Kurlykova On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:04 am

Oh, I’m excited about this recipe! It’s one of my favourite foods, but I’ve never trusted a home-made recipe before, but I am totally trying this one! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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tammy On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:05 am

i love you mac and cheese, yum yum mmmm

14

Melanie On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:06 am

Oh I want to eat that RIGHT.NOW.

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Jen in Louisville On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:06 am

I LOVE mac and cheese. I make mine with Gouda and put some sausage in there with carmelized onions- oh and I always use the long spiral noodles that start with a C. This weekend I am going all out with truffle butter, guyere and sharp white cheddar.. mmmmm….

I make mine very similar to this. I use white pepper, cayenne, and brown rice pasta (Tinkyada brand.) Yum and my girls ask for it again and again. So much better than the boxed stuff, no comparrison really.

Yaya2three On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:08 am

I almost always put some buttery bread crumbs on top of mine before I bake it, but you’re right, the baking is the most important step. That and the dried mustard. Also i sometimes use onion powder. Okay, now I want mac n cheese REALLY bad.

25

Andrea On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:09 am

Can’t wait to try it. It looks great!
Do you have a good recipe for homemade bread?

Kymberley On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:23 am

Isn’t macaroni and cheese the best? It’s the dish that I always get asked to make for family get-togethers, like for Easter this Sunday.

A question…you use metal utensils in your enameled cast iron? You probably have Le Creuset or Staub but I have a cheaper one my dad picked up for me…and I’m scared to use metal utensils-has using metal in yours scratched them?

This is very nearly like my mac and cheese recipe, except for the egg. And now I’m intrigued and will have to try this egg-y version for myself. Too bad I can’t make macaroni and cheese at work or I’d do it right now.

60

Tami in NY On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:25 am

To get some vegatables into my picky eater of a two year old I’ve started substituting a cup of cheese for a cup of pureed butternut squash. Jessica Seinfield gave me the idea. It makes for a very creamy M&C with a wonderful taste to it!

I’ll definitely give your recipe a try. Does it dry out when you bake it though? Whenever I bake my M&C it dries out and all the creamy goodness is just gone! So I stopped baking it but I will sometimes add Ritz & melted butter to the top and broil it for a couple of minutes to get that crunch. Be careful with this though. I set it on fire one day! Luckily I was watching it. Now that was crunchy on top!

Dena On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:28 am

I went to a wedding last weekend and later had to write and beg the caterer for their mac & cheese recipe. It’s basically the same recipe as this, but the cheese are…. wait for it… manchego and gruyere. With some cheddar on top for good measure. And white pepper.

Shauna On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:34 am

Now I’m hungry and thinking I HAVE to make this right away! Guess I have to get dressed and make a store run. Thanks

73

Pat in KY On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:34 am

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH I have been looking for a great macaronie and cheese dish and it looks like I have found it. Thanks a bunch.

74

Dana On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:34 am

We LOVE mac & cheesy goodness at our house!! Most of the time I make it in the crockpot, it’s so easy that way, but I will definitely give yours a try, maybe this weekend! Looks YUM-O!!! I can feel it sticking to the thighs just looking at it!

Pamela On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:38 am

I make a very similar mac and cheese and it is so yummy.
I also make a Ranch mac and cheese that is heavenly!!

79

Menolly On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:38 am

Now THAT looks like my mother’s mac n’ cheese, just without the dried mustard! You have got to have the egg. Unfortunately, I don’t eat it (the only one in my home who didn’t); too much cheese, and I will NEVER a yellow cheddar fan. She even made it with all white cheeses for me to try one day. Still no. *uber-blech* My family despairs of me…

80

Alesha On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:38 am

Kate the Librarian On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:39 am

Thanks for another great recipe, Ree! I, too, lived on mac’n’cheese alone until age 14. My parents still remark on how they never thought I would eat anything else.. Thankfully, at 27, I’ve broadened my food horizons, but I still love of bowl of cheesy goodness. Mmmm….can’t wait to make this next week!

Oh my goodness… that looks amazing. If only I could eat that for breakfast and not feel guilty. You’re totally right, whenever I decide to make that, I will then have to get on the treadmill for the rest of my days. Thanks!

MMMMMM! You’ve inspired me, Ree!! This is exactly how I make my mac n cheese, but with 2 exceptions. I season mine with nutmeg (I use nutmeg in everything w/ dark greens or cheese), and I sprinkle the top w/ a bread crumbs and cheese mixed together.

87

betty On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:42 am

I made mac and cheese last night, this is almost the same recipe, but without the egg. Next time I’ll try the egg. Thanks

88

Rhonda in Oklahoma On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:42 am

I will have to make this ASAP. I haven’t done this with an egg before. Looks good!

89

Tressa On Tuesday, April 7 at 8:43 am

I love homemade Mac and Cheese! I put Progresso bread crumbs on top of mine and it makes a wonderful crusty to the top!

Also! On the Eggs Benedict – which I LOVE LOVE LOVE – sprinkle a little fresh dill on top next time – your taste buds will forever thank you!

I used to make a similar dish, except the recipe called for fresh parmesan in a white sauce… and extra sharp chedder…. but no egg or mustard stuff….

Ok, so the only similarity may be the elbow macaroni and butter, but it was soooo good, and the dish always weighed about 20lbs- that’s how you know it was good- but I will have to try this recipe, it sounds yummy!

Yep, I agree! Roux and mustard are totally the secrets to mac n cheese! I’ve been working in small batches to try to make a convincingly cheeseless mac n cheese (not sure why, exactly, other than it’d be neat). So far, cheese beats all. =( . . . or =) depending how you view my ongoing failure.

Saturday, April 4: Freezer Fundamentals! While ranch work is going on outside, freezer work is going on inside! I share four more of my favorite freezer basics, which can be made into a whole bunch of different meals.